₦airaland Forum

🇷🇺 Russia's seaborne exports of fuel oil and vacuum gasoil to Saudi Arabia jumped 18% in March from February to 1 million metric ​tons as soaring oil prices driven by the Iran war reshaped flows, ‌data from traders and LSEG showed.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a key export destination, stepping up purchases of Russian fuel oil to supply its power sector, allowing ​the kingdom to preserve valuable crude that would otherwise be burned ​for electricity.

Fuel oil and VGO shipments from Russian ports to ⁠Saudi Arabia typically rise in summer as air-conditioning demand increases. March's surge ​was amplified by a tightening crude market and a sharp oil price rally ​as the Middle East conflict escalated, as well as a temporary waiver on U.S. sanctions on Russian oil products.

Since the European Union's full embargo on Russian oil products took effect ​in February 2023, Middle Eastern and Asian countries have become the main ​outlets for Russia's fuel oil and VGO.

⚡📉 Top 24 Countries with Biggest Population Decline (2000–2025)

1. 🇺🇦 Ukraine: -33%
2. 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands: -29%
3. 🇧🇬 Bulgaria: -23%
4. 🇱🇻 Latvia: -22%
5. 🇲🇩 Moldova: -19%
6. 🇱🇹 Lithuania: -18%
7. 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico: -17%
8. 🇷🇴 Romania: -16%
9. 🇷🇸 Serbia: -13%
10. 🇦🇱 Albania: -13%
11. 🇭🇷 Croatia: -12%
12. 🇫🇲 Micronesia: -11%
13. 🇬🇪 Georgia: -10%
14. 🇲🇰 North Macedonia: -10%
15. 🇧🇾 Belarus: -9%
16. 🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina: -8%
17. 🇭🇺 Hungary: -7%
18. 🇵🇼 Palau: -5%
19. 🇵🇱 Poland: -5%
20. 🇬🇷 Greece: -4%
21. 🇦🇲 Armenia: -3%
22. 🇯🇵 Japan: -3%
23. 🇪🇪 Estonia: -2%
24. 🇷🇺 Russia: -1%

Source: IMF

🇷🇺 🆚 🇮🇱 At least 40 Israeli citizens were detained and later released after arriving at a Moscow airport from Tel Aviv on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry confirmed following a Russian report on the incident.

The travelers were reportedly held on suspicion of having ties to Israel’s war against Russia’s ally, Iran. Security forces at Domodedovo Airport reportedly stressed to the detainees that Iran is an ally of Russia and that anyone who is an enemy of Iran is “our enemy as well.”

“Immediately upon learning of the incident, at the instruction of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, the Foreign Ministry acted both with the foreign ministry in Moscow and with the Russian embassy in Israel,” the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

“Following this intervention, the incident was resolved, and the Israelis’ entry was approved. The Russians were made to understand that this conduct is completely unacceptable, and Israel views the incident with great seriousness,” the ministry added.

While the ministry could not address other details of the detention, a source familiar with the incident told the independent Russian outlet Mediazone that the travelers were interrogated by Russian security forces on suspicion of being involved in Israel’s war against Iran, and held for five hours without access to food, water, or restrooms.

Those detained, among whom were both dual citizens and Israelis without Russian passports, were reportedly told to unlock their phones. When the Israelis refused, they were told to turn them off instead, the report said.

The Israeli citizens were released only after signing documents stressing the “inadmissibility of violating the law” and warning against such violations, according to the report.

Domodedovo Airport was the scene of an incident in 2019, when several Israelis were denied entry into Russia in a spat over a bilateral visa agreement. On that occasion, they were also eventually permitted to continue their journey.

dermmy:
Imagine only Iran made US deplete such amount of stockpiles. You haven't even engaged Russia/China. In the even of a war with China/Russia na stick and stones US go dey use fight at some point.